On-the-Job Training
Story Recap When there's a crime committed in the city morgue, it's up to crack detective Donald Schanke to investigate. And his partner, too, he guesses. Notes Written as a gift for greerwatson in FK Fic Fest 2015 (released 27 August). Length: 2681words. Written to the prompt: "Gen. A police plot, either twisty casefic or day-on-the-job. (Preferably no vampire complications.) If you like, it could be seen from the perspective of someone other than Nick." Quotes * "“Why am I doing the paperwork yet again?” Don asked, frowning at his computer screen. The report was already half finished, but it was the principle of the matter at this point. Knight had the gall to smile. “You volunteered, remember? Something about how atrocious my typing skills are.”" Comments * "Now this is a seriously funny story. Joke intended. It's a real (albeit weird) case with real detection skills (from Schanke!), and jokes galore—both in- and not. ... A lot of very clever writing in this story. I love it!" — excerpted from the comment by greerwatson on AO3 * "I love it! What a wonderful case-fic! It's always interesting to experience how Nick is being perceived by his partner." — excerpted from the comment by PJ1228 on AO3 * "How refreshing to have Nick and Don solve a case solely with detecting skills!" — excerpted from the comment by dlyt on AO3 * "Great fic, I love that it's from Schanke's viewpoint. And that HE gets his man (with a little help, of course.) Well-thought-out case, and Schanke's internal dialog is great." — comment by sonneta on AO3 * "Poor Schanke. Nick keeps sticking him with all the grunt work and he has no idea how. I got a huge kick out of this story because of both the unusual POV and the intrinsic absurdity of the situation that everyone still manages to play straight." — excerpted from comment by LadySilver on AO3 * "Making the morgue itself a crime scene -- and Natalie and Grace to some degree witnesses -- is marvelously clever, playing with our expectations and assumptions in a really fun, really energizing way, as well as unfolding in a manner that builds tension. I loved that! It's my favorite thing in your "On-the-Job Training," and I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for a while as a storytelling tool. ... Schanke is indeed a good cop and a good investigator; canon supplies ample on-screen evidence as well as third-party testimony! He's very in-character here, and very in-first-season (my favorite season), with his small, suppressed, but conscious resentments of disproportionate credit and respect sometimes going to Nick. Somehow, that brought to my mind the alternate reality in "Curiouser & Curiouser" -- if that delusion really was Nick's projection of what he'd been denying people, then the super-professional Schanke in that delusion must represent Nick's knowledge, at some level, of the respect Schanke deserves that Nick doesn't always give -- as well as "Close Call."" — excerpted from the comment by brightknightie on AO3 See Also Category:Fan Fiction Category:Works by Vorpalblades Category:PG13-Rated Fan Fiction Category:Short Story Category:Drama Category:Casefic Category:Fan Fiction from 2013